Interpol refuses to issue red arrest warrant for Ishaq Dar

London: The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol)
has rejected the request of the Pakistan government to issue former finance
minister Ishaq Dar’s red arrest warrant notice.

This correspondent has seen papers showing that the Interpol
General Secretariat has informed all Interpol National Central Bureaus (NCBs)
to delete all data files in their systems on Ishaq Dar, issuing him a clean
certificate that he is not subject to “an Interpol red notice or diffusion”.

Interpol sources confirmed to this correspondent that the Pakistan
government through the Federal Interior Ministry had requested them to issue
red arrest warrant for Dar, who now lives in London, but the Interpol decided
to reject the request after evaluating the evidence submitted by Mr. Dar.

In a letter referenced LA/72615-260, the Interpol has issued a
certificate to Ishaq Dar about its decision confirming that he’s not subject to
any red notice.

“The General Secretariat of the International Criminal Police
Organisation- Interpol hereby certifies that, as of today, Mr Mohammad Ishaq
Dar born on 13 May 1950, is not subject to an Interpol notice or diffusion.”

The Office of Legal Affairs of General Secretariat of Interpol in
Lyon, France, has issued the certificate according to official sources. The
decision to delete files on Ishaq Dar was taken during the 109th session of the
Commission for the Control of Interpol’s files.

One of the official papers stated: “After a thorough examination of the elements before it, the commission found that the data challenged raised questions as to compliance with applicable rules. As a result, it considered that the retention of these data in the Interpol Information System was not compliant with the Interpol’s rules and decided that they should be deleted. This decision was forwarded to the Interpol General Secretariat which deleted the data challenged from Interpol’s files.”